Seeking the Dao in the Seemingly Mundane Mortal World

Chapter 38: Since You’re Here

Translator: Henyee Translations

Editor: Henyee Translations

When Qin Yi arrived in Night Wing’s courtyard, Li Qingjun came to the front gate with her spear as well.

There was a team of soldiers outside, and the captain was speaking to the steward. “That was demon energy, and it might harm the crown prince. Let us in so we can remove the hidden danger.”

The steward hesitated. He wasn’t supposed to let them in, but he was worried about that dark energy, and the captain, as a confidant of the crown prince, visited the crown prince’s residence all the time. So the steward wasn’t alarmed and only said, “His Royal Highness has very strict rules. Since he’s not here, I’m not at liberty to let you in. General Liu, I hope you can understand.”

General Liu said, “His Royal Highness himself has sent me back here to take a look.”

The steward was convinced and nodded. “In that case, thank you, General Liu.”

General Liu looked elated. He was about to enter the residence when a streak of silver light charged at his throat. He stumbled back in surprise, and when he steadied himself, he saw that it was Li Qingjun with her spear.

“Your Royal Highness, that’s…”

Li Qingjun said coldly, “You said you were worried about my brother’s safety first, but you also said he was the one who sent you here. Don’t you find those two contradictory statements ridiculous?”

The look on the steward’s face changed, and he was on guard when he looked at General Liu again. With a wave of her hand, numerous guards rushed out, blocking the front gate.

General Liu cursed inwardly. Princess Zhaoyang had always been reckless, and it was very unlike her to notice such a detail. Even the old steward didn’t notice the loophole, but she did. General Liu had to make up an excuse. “Your Royal Highness, you’re overthinking it. I only said that because I didn’t want anything to happen to the crown prince’s residence. His Royal Highness has indeed sent me back…”

In fact, Li Qingjun hadn’t been more careful than usual, and she was just here to make trouble. Qin Yi had told her to stop all outsiders from coming in and stall until her brother came back. She was good at causing troubles if nothing else.

Pointing at General Liu with her spear, she extended her free hand. “Show me your token.”

“I came in such a hurry that His Royal Highness didn’t have time to give me one…” General Liu said, “But this is only a petty matter. I’m sure His Royal Highness won’t require a token for everything.”

Li Qingjun narrowed her eyes. She finally understood why Qin Yi told her to stop all outsiders.

There was definitely something wrong with this man. Sure, he was a confidant of her brother and might not need a token to enter the residence, but no token would ever allow an army to enter this place. Li Qinglin would never let such a thing happen!

General Liu was about to speak when Li Qingjun flared up and yelled, “Get lost!”

She then raised her spear and swept it across the air. The few men standing in the gateway were forced to stumble back with blanched faces.

That wasn’t good.

They wondered why the princess would show up here.

Did they have to enter the residence by force?

As the stalemate continued, Qin Yi and Minghe were already standing under a tree in the distance, watching the scene.

“A confidant of the crown prince is trying to force his way into the crown prince’s residence when he’s not at home.” Qin Yi smiled and said, “Isn’t that interesting?”

Minghe only watched in silence. She didn’t reply, and her expressionless face said, “What does it have anything to do with me?”

Qin Yi then said, “Priestess, do you think it’s none of your business?”

Minghe turned to look at him.

“If you had killed the demon right after you entered the residence and delivered the dead body to Donghuazi, this would’ve probably never have happened.”

Minghe thought for a moment, and she soon saw the truth.

Obviously, she didn’t have to answer to Donghuazi, and he didn’t even know when she activated the formation. It was obvious that he had noticed the demon energy and sent the team of men here to retrieve the body.

General Liu should’ve been more than capable to complete that task on his own, but he had a team of men with him. That was because…

Qin Yi seemed to have read her mind and said, “When I went to the royal palace to see the king this morning, some people snuck into my courtyard and your wooden sword killed them. I haven’t buried their bodies yet. This Liu guy doesn’t know what’s going on inside, so of course he didn’t dare to go in alone.”

Minghe nodded.

“What’s happening here has everything to do with you,” Qin Yi went on. “In fact, you think you’re only eradicating evil without getting involved in a political strife, but you’ve already become Donghuazi’s weapon in his war. You just haven’t realized it.”

Minghe suddenly said, “So, are you telling me that I’m an actor in this show as well?”

Qin Yi said, “Once you come to the mortal world, you become a part of it. It’s not easy to remain an onlooker.”

Minghe retorted, “So, you’re Li Qinglin’s weapon, then?”

Qin Yi thought for a moment and shook his head. “His sister and I have mutual feelings for each other, and that makes me his family and friend. Moreover, he and I have a lot of common goals. What’s your relationship with Donghuazi?”

Minghe fell silent for a while. She then heaved a sigh. “You’re right. Once I came to the mortal world, I became a part of it. I thought I was only an onlooker, but I’m already a ring in the chain. My friend, you’re right. I need to take responsibility.”

“My friend”… That was the first time Minghe addressed Qin Yi in that way.

Every person had their own needs. Minghe had left her mountain to see the world, and eradicating evil was only a by-product. Qin Yi had hit her soft spot when he brought her here to watch the show and made his little speech.

Since he understood her, he was considered a fellow cultivator — a friend.

Liusu was secretly surprised as well, because he hadn’t discussed Minghe’s purpose in Nanli with Qin Yi. All signs indicated that she was most likely going to travel the world to kill demons, but there was also a small possibility that it had something to do with Donghuazi. However, Qin Yi was certain that she was only here to see the world.

It suddenly realized that although Qin Yi wasn’t a scheming man and had street smarts at most, he seemed to have been born with a talent—he was very acute. For instance, he had noticed Liusu’s desire for the boy’s body, and he had noticed Li Qinglin’s secret because he didn’t try to return home immediately following his older brother’s death. These discoveries were all related to that acuteness.

Such a talent couldn’t be learned through cultivation.

Liusu wondered what the cultivation world was like now. Back in its time, someone like Qin Yi would’ve done great.

While Liusu wandered off, Qin Yi told Minghe, “Actually, your argument about men and demons was right.”

Minghe was a little surprised, because Qin Yi’s attitude had changed.

Qin Yi sighed. “You said we’re only able to have this prosperity because cultivators have been eradicating evil creatures from this world, and that I’ve been enjoying the benefits without acknowledging it. I guess you’re right. It’s like cinging and dancing in the city in celebration of peace while accusing the soldiers guarding the borders of killing people—that’s just stupid. I’m not knowledgeable enough to argue with you, but I don’t think that’s what’s happening here. Anyway, I just can’t make a clean break from this mortal world. At least, I can’t bring myself to watch Night Wing die.”

Minghe seemed to smile a little. “Night Wing?”

“Well, the name I told you was bullshit, and I knew it wouldn’t fool you. It’d make me look like an idiot,” Qin Yi said honestly. “But my friend, since you’re already enjoying the show, how about taking a closer look?”

Minghe nodded without saying another word.

She appreciated Qin Yi’s recognition of his own fault. There were so many stubborn people in this world, and not many would admit their reluctance in severing their ties with the mortal world.

She decided to make her verdict after this was over. She knew Qin Yi was right; she had inadvertently become a weapon of someone else’s war. Therefore, she no longer tried to meddle with predetermined fate.

Meanwhile, General Liu couldn’t take it anymore.

Since the princess had already noticed his intentions, there was no point in holding back anymore. Even if he stopped now, the crown prince would still punish him for this, so he might as well go through with the plan.

“Your Royal Highness, I know you don’t trust me, but I have orders to follow. Sorry about this!” Drawing out his long saber, General Liu took the lead, charging at the front gate.

Li Qingjun raised her spear, and a battle soon started.

Qin Yi was going to say some more when he saw Li Qingjun and General Liu starting to fight. He immediately grabbed the spiked club, rushed over to the front gate, and struck down at General Liu.

The impact made a loud clang, and the force numbed his hands. He stumbled back in astonishment.

Li Qingjun was pleasantly surprised. “You’re here! Is everything alright inside?”

Qin Yi smiled. “Yes.”

Li Qingjun smashed a soldier away with her spear and smiled at Qingjun. “Let’s fight together.”

Their affectionate tones made them look like they were on a date. Seeing this, Minghe shook her head in the distance.

No wonder Qin Yi said he was an actor in this show, because he really was. He wasn’t just experiencing the world; he had become entangled and lost in a futile dream. Minghe decided that he wasn’t behaving like a cultivator and wondered who his master was and how angry they would be if they saw him like this.

The sound of thumping hooves came from the end of the street as Li Qinglin headed in this direction, leading a team of men, and he rode right into the battlefield. General Liu paled when he saw this and tried to retreat, but Li Qinglin didn’t give him that opportunity. His silver spear charged out, splashing blood everywhere. The next second, General Liu dropped dead on the ground with a hand over the hole on his throat.

As an experienced general who had seen wars, Li Qinglin was much more frightening than Qin Yi and Li Qingjun when he stormed in on horseback. As soon as he showed up, all the soldiers surrounding the princess blanched and lost their will to fight. They all dropped their weapons and surrendered.

Although Li Qinglin had ended the fight in an instant, he didn’t seem pleased with himself. Instead, he turned to Qin Yi with a serious look on his face. “Bother Qin, there’s a change in the situation. Let’s talk inside.”

When Qin Yi turned to look, Minghe was no longer under the tree.